Fire roasted lamb??

[bwmichaud]

Lambs around here are usually $75-$100. I've seen them for $50 and also for $150 though. The $50 lambs taste as good as the $150 lambs. I've never eaten a $200 lamb but I'll bet it tastes the same as the others.

Brian

 

[ssbs]

I know!! The free goats I've eaten were better than the $50 goats, and the free roosters were just as good as the $4 roosters!!

$200 for a lamb is just too much.

 

[Bossroo]

Quote:
In the past when wool had a good price , one would use the white face ewe breeds to produce an anual wool crop, however the lambs were more often than not pretty poor producers of meat. so the use a meat type ram such as the Suffolk, Hampshire, Dorset, or Southdown to sire lambs meant to produce meat. However those breeds were poor producers of wool quantity and or quality. A lot depends on the milking ability of the ewe and most purebred meat type ewes could provide enough milk to finish their lambs on good pasture ... for lambs finished on pasture you let the ewe raise the lambs on pasture alone. For finishing in a feed lot ... wean the lambs,and put them in a dry lot feed them good quality alfalfa hay + corn, oats, and barley. Today, the wool prices are so low and the cost of shearing is so high that it is not economical to raise a wool type sheep. Enter the hair type sheep that shed their wool annually. The best hair sheep , in my opinion is the Dorper, developed in South Africa using the Dorset ram on a Persian fat rumped ewe. Due to the sparce and arrid vegetation of South Africa the use of the Persian influence allows the Dorper to utilize browse as well as grass to put on weight and most lambs finish on grass alone, as well as shed it's wool. the Dorset influence gives it good meat type ( bone to meat ratio) conformation and rapid growth, as well as milking ability and have a strong herding instinct. The lambs are born strong and very active and gain size and weight very rapidly. As for fertility, There is a Dorper Ram in Oregon that sired over 300 lambs in one year. Ewes will produce 3 lamb crops in 2 years. If I used the Dorper ram on a flock of Katahdin ewes, I would keep the ewe lambs as breeding stock and breed them back to a Dorper ram to improve the meat qualities for the next generation. I know that most Katahdin owners don't advocate docking , however I would as it makes for a more attractive hind quarter on the lamb at auction and will bring a higher price. Also, when the ewes and their lambs are on lush ,rich spring new growth in the pastures and many sheep will have loose stools, having been docked will prevent flys laying eggs on soiled wool and then having to shear the back ends to prevent fly maggot attacks. Not a very pleasant task indeed.

 

[Bossroo]

Quote:
What was once true in sheep raising in the past is now mostly out the window. Years ago wool braught decent prices and sheering was affordable. Today wool prices will NOT even hope to cover the price of a sheering if you can even find someone to do it. Wool type breeds tend to be more flyty and run at almost any provocation which gives the impression of being mean... no just scared of being eaten. The black faced meat type sheep are much more docile, produce great tasting meat, but are poor procucers of wool in quality and quantity.Today, if I was to raise sheep, I would find myself a good meat type sheep that is also a hair sheep that sheds it wool every year. For my money, The hands down best of that type of sheep, in my opinion, is the Dorper.

 

[Donner]

First Gyro:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/gyro-meat-with-tzatziki-sauce-recipe/index.html

Second, roasting whole lamb on a spit.

We usually end up with 55-65lbs whole lamb from the meat market depending on how late in the season Greek Easter lands, I can't help with live weight. But, that is more than enough for 40+ people when you have spanikopita, pastichio, dolma, pilaf, salad, bakalava, etc.....

Prepare the night before. You will need a lot of peeled garlic cloves, cut larger ones in half. Prepare a bowl or two of salt, pepper, and oregano for seasoning. We eyeball it, so can't give measurements but you cannot have too much oregano. Stab the meaty parts of the lamb and put some seasoning in the hole, followed by garlic, followed by seasoning. Be careful of the fleshy stomach flap you cut that and it falls apart too soon.

Once seasoned and garlic'd spit the lamb. In the cavity throw in a bunch of quartered lemons (leave peels on) and any leftover garllic and seasoning. Sew up the cavity.

Set aside in garage or on spit wrapped in foil until morning, spit is a good idea because only one person gets up at the god awful hour. Around 5-6am start fire and start cooking. Set up heat under ends and move towards the center as cooking proceeds, the ends take longer to cook than the middle.

Baste with mix of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and oregano, as often as you fell like. If available tie fresh oregano stalks around a brush for basting.

For that extra special flavor cook over grape stumps.

Greeks cook well done, so should be ready around 1-2pm, it will NOT be dry. Exact cook time depends on how many cooks, friends, and relatives are around to argue about whether it is done or not, and how long it takes to come to a consensus. Stoke the fire in the middle about an hour before completion to crisp up the skin.

Remove from rotisserie and lean spit with carcass against tree with drip pan to cool. At which point the vultures will pick off the skin. This is Ok, but no picking off meat. Once cool enough to carve without burning one self. Move to carving table and serve.

 

[EweSheep]